Flossing Wrong is Just as Dangerous as Not Flossing

Posted on 2/15/2017 by Doctor Kethcart

If you are flossing your teeth the wrong way, you can do just as much damage as if you weren't flossing at all. There are a lot of ways that you could be flossing wrong, some of them more damaging than others.

Learning to floss properly allows you to be able to keep your teeth clean and much healthier. The best way to learn how to floss right is to talk with your dentist about how you currently floss, and have them show you how to avoid any mistakes you may currently be making.

Mistakes with Flossing Can Be Harmful

Snapping the floss in against your gums can really hurt your mouth. This can damage your gum tissue, and can cause swelling and even push bacteria down into your gums.

You can also hurt your gums by using too little floss or the wrong flossing motions. By using too little floss, you are reusing the same small bits of the floss, putting bacteria from one part of your mouth into other parts of your mouth, which can increase the chances your teeth will get caries.

If you are just sawing back and forth when you floss, this can also be quite damaging to your gum tissue. The point of flossing is to scrape bacteria off of your teeth, and it needs to happen to each tooth that makes up a gap between the teeth.

A lot of people only swipe between each pair of teeth once, and think they're done. This can be quite damaging to your teeth, since you are missing a good portion of debris and plaque.

To find out how you should be flossing, contact our office at your next cleaning and exam. They can show you the best ways to floss for your mouth.